Temporary fence installed to keep intruders out
By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
The metal chain-link fence that has sprouted in front of the historic William Gulick House does not mean the house is facing the wrecking ball — yet.
The fence was installed as a temporary measure to keep intruders out of the farmhouse, according to Lawrence Township officials. The house is on the corner of Route 206 and Province Line Road, in front of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. campus.
But demolition of the house, which was built in 1855, may be in the works. An application for a demolition permit was submitted to Lawrence Township in October 2013 by contractor Regal Restoration, which is based in Eatontown, township officials said.
The contractor was advised that because the William Gulick House is on the township’s list of historic properties, an application would have to be submitted to the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. No application has been made to the advisory committee, however.
This is not the first time that the William Gulick House has been faced with the prospect of demolition. The owner — Lawrenceville Realty Co./Care One — attempted to demolish the house in 2002 without obtaining the required demolition permit from Lawrence Township.
When Lawrence Township officials learned of the planned demolition in 2002, they went to Mercer County state Superior Court and obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent it. The measure was meant to ensure that the property owner followed the rules, if it wanted to tear down the house.
Those rules stipulate that to demolish a building, the property owner must apply for a demolition permit. If the house is listed on the township’s list of historic properties, the owner must appear before the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee for permission to tear it down.
The Historic Preservation Advisory Committee can approve or deny a request for demolition, or it may call for a postponement of the demolition. If the committee postpones demolition, it must work with the applicant to consider alternatives.
But if the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee denies the demolition request, the owner’s next stop is the Planning Board. The Planning Board may also deny the demolition request, or it may postpone demolition for up to one year. If the board decides to postpone demolition, then it must work to find ways to preserve the house.
The William Gulick House has been at the center of several controversial development applications over the past two decades. It was purchased in 1995 by the Lawrenceville Realty Co., which sought to subdivide the property into three lots. That plan was scrapped in favor of a proposal to redevelop the property for an assisted living facility for the elderly.
The saga of the William Gulick House began in earnest in 1997, when a developer sought a use variance from the township Zoning Board of Adjustment for an 84-bed assisted living facility. The house would have been the centerpiece of the assisted living facility.
The zoning board rejected the use variance application, prompting the developer to file a federal lawsuit that was ultimately denied in U.S. District Court. The zoning board approved a revised plan for an assisted living facility in 1999, but the plan did not go forward.
A third use variance application was filed in 2005 by Lawrenceville Realty Co./Care One, which called for tearing down the house and building a 150-bed assisted living facility. A public hearing was never held on the application.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment quietly voted to deny the application in 2011, after township officials asked for the denial because of the inactivity by the applicant. The William Gulick House has continued to languish.
Over the years, would-be preservationists have stepped forward with plans to save the house — but nothing has panned out.
Preservation New Jersey placed the house on its list of the 10 most endangered historic sites in 2007. And in 2005, the house was highlighted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on its online magazine’s website.
Although the house is listed on Lawrence Township’s list of historic properties, it is not included on the State Register of Historic Places or the National Register of Historic Places.
The William Gulick House was built by a wealthy farmer in the Italianate style, which was considered very fashionable in the mid-19th century.
The basic form of the house, with its broad gable or peak in the middle of the roofline, is one of the hallmarks of the Italianate style.
The round-arched windows above the front door — on the second and third floors — combined with decorative brackets under the roof, also are key features.
“(It) is generally viewed as Lawrence Township’s best high-style example of Italianate architecture,” according to “A Guide to Lawrenceville’s Historic Landmarks” booklet that was published by Lawrence Township.
The house also features a variety of Colonial Revival alterations, such as the doorway with its semi-circular fanlight, according to the booklet.
The Colonial Revival architectural style was popular in the 1920s, and it was not unusual for houses to be updated to reflect the then-current style.
Inside the William Gulick House, the first-floor ceilings are 12 feet tall. The second-floor ceilings are 10 feet tall and the ceilings on the third floor are 9 feet tall.
The walls are plaster and the flooring is hardwood. There are numerous fireplaces, but the original mantels have been removed from most of them.
It is not known when the house left Gulick family ownership — Mr. Gulick died in 1890 — but the property has changed hands many times over the years. The Lawrenceville Realty Co. purchased the property in 1995.